Hinged Closure Including an Alignment Fin

ABSTRACT

Hinged closures for containers are provided. The hinged closures allow for easy alignment in the correct position during reclosure. The closure can include a hinge, a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure, and at least one fin that is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip. Multiple fins can be included. The closure can also include a plurality of radial reinforcing ribs.

BACKGROUND

Hinged closures that can be easily reclosed are needed for various uses such as in conjunction with containers used to house carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, water or other liquids, powders, oils, condiments, and beauty products, among others. Existing closures sacrifice desirable characteristics, such as difficult realignment of the cap upon closing, leaks, and low stability.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to closures for a container, such as hinged closures for a beverage. The hinged closures allow for easy alignment in the correct position during reclosure.

In one aspect, the closure can include a lid portion and a skirt portion, connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges with a hinge connecting the lid portion and the skirt portion. The lid portion can include an outer seal and/or a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure. The closure can further include at least one fin that is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip, wherein the fin and the hinge are positioned on the same side of the closure. The height of the fin extends from the underside of the top wall of the closure to a top of an opening of the container; and the length of the fin extends from the sealing lip toward the center of the closure such that the length of the fin is sufficient to interact with the opening of the container during reclosure.

In another aspect, the closure can include a lid portion and a skirt portion, connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges and a hinge connecting the lid portion and the skirt portion. The lid portion can include an outer seal and a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure. The closure further includes a plurality of fins, wherein each of the plurality of fins is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip. A first fin of the plurality of fins is positioned on the same side of the closure as the hinge and the remaining fins are located equidistant from one another along a circumference of the closure. The height of each of the plurality of fins extends from the underside of the top wall of the closure to a top of an opening of the container. The length of each of the plurality of fins can extends from the sealing lip toward the center of the closure such that the length of each fin is sufficient to interact with the opening of the container during reclosure.

In another aspect, the closure can also include a plurality of radial reinforcing ribs.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be discussed in more detail as set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present disclosure will be more readily appreciated upon review of the detailed description of its various embodiments, described below, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 provides an example of a cross section view of a hinged closure in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the lid portion comprises a fin attached to the sealing lip.

FIG. 2 provides another example of a cross section view of a hinged closure in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the lid portion comprises a fin having an upper portion attached to the sealing lip.

FIGS. 3A-3C provide views of an example of the hinged closure including a fin in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A provides a cross-section view including the fin and hinge. FIG. 3B provides a perspective view from the bottom of the closure. FIG. 3C provides a view of the fin shown in FIG. 3B.

FIG. 4 provides a line drawing of the outlet of the hinged closure, illustrating the range of opening of the closure and the position of the fin.

FIG. 5 provides another example of a hinged closure from a bottom perspective view in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the fin is integrated into a star feature to provide added stability.

The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope described herein, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions may be exaggerated to help visually convey certain principles. In the drawings, similar reference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily the same, elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with the purpose(s) of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, embodiments of the present disclosure, in some aspects, relate to closures for containers having an opening. In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide for hinged closures having at least one fin that is at least partially affixed to the sealing ring of the closure. In general, the hinged closures described herein have a lid portion and a skirt portion (e.g. a tamper band) connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges, in which the hinge connects the lid portion and the skirt portion For instance, the hinged closures described herein are generally used in connection with containers for dispensing products such as food and beverages (e.g. carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, water, oils or condiments, powders or granular products such as seasonings), beauty products (e.g. shampoos, lotions), and household products (e.g. adhesives, detergents, cleaning agent, solutions). The hinged closure of the present disclosure can also be used in connection with various other containers as desired. The hinged closure can be adapted for container applications having a screw closure and/or a snap closure, and in use with all applications, the hinged closure can be locked in the open position and can have an opening angle of up to 180 degrees or more. Additionally, the hinged closures described herein advantageously provide for ease in reclosing hinged closures that may have constricted movement.

The present disclosure includes several embodiments of hinged closures with a fin, as shown in the figures. The fin aids in reclosure of the bottle by providing a means to align the opening of the container with the sealing ring inside the lid portion of the closure. For instance, FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a hinged closure 100 having a fin 130. The closures described herein include a sealing lip 140 positioned on an underside of a top wall of the lid portion 110 of the closure. The fin 130 is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip 140, the fin 130 extending inward toward the center of the lid portion. The fin 130 and the hinge 160 are positioned on a same side of the closure and the fin is situated on the internal circumference of the closure. At least a portion of the hinge can be positioned on the exterior circumference of the closure. For example, a locking mechanism of the hinge can be positioned on the exterior circumference of the closure. The position of fin 130 on the same side of the closure as the hinge aids in aligning the closure to the correct closure position and allows the sealing lip to engage the inside diameter of the neck finish.

Advantageously, because the fin 130 is affixed to the sealing lip 140, the fin 130 can have a reduced size, such that it may not extend far toward the center of the cap. The reduced size of the fin 130 allows for reduced use of materials during manufacture. In some embodiments, the fin 130 can have a length 132 that is sufficient to interact with the opening on the container during reclosure. However, the length 132 can extend towards the center of the closure. For example, the length 132 can be 0.3 mm or greater, beginning from the sealing lip. The thickness 137 of the fin is such that it can interact with the opening of the container to allow the closure to realign during a closing process. In other words, the thickness 137 and/or length 132 of the fin are enough to realign the closure onto the container during closing. The thickness 137 can for example be between about 0.25 mm to 5 mm.

In some embodiments, the fin 130 can be fully affixed to the sealing lip 140 along the entire height 134 of the fin 130. Height 134 extends from the contact surface 135 and surface 136. The contact surface 135 of fin 130 interacts with (e.g. touches) the top of the container opening. It also slides on top of the opening during reclosure. Surface 136 is the inner top surface of the closure. In such embodiments (e.g., FIG. 1 ), the container can be used for applications including dry contents (e.g., powders, tablets) or high-viscosity liquids (e.g. condiments, lotions), and the container can withstand leaks when closed.

In some embodiments, only a portion of the fin 130 is affixed along its height to the sealing lip 140 (e.g., FIG. 2 ). In addition to dry contents and high-viscosity liquids, such an embodiment can be used to close containers and withstand leaks when the container contents include low-viscosity liquids.

In some embodiments, multiple fins 130 can be included. The fin(s) 130 are placed equidistant from each other around the interior perimeter of the closure to maintain the shape of the closure. For example, in a circular closure, the first fin 130 is placed near (or at) the center of the hinge 160 and the remaining fins 130 can be placed equidistant around the circumference of the closure. When two fins are included, the first fin 130 is located near (or at) the center of the hinge and the other fin is located 180° from the first fin. When more than two fins are included, the first fine is located near (or at) the center of the hinge 160 and the remaining fins are equidistant from each other, For example, three fins can be located at 120° intervals from the center of the hinge, 4 fins can be located at 90° intervals from the center of the hinge, 5 fins can be located at 72° intervals from the center of the hinge, etc. In some embodiments, one fin 130 can be located along the same point in the circumference of the closure as the hinge 160 (e.g. on the same side as the hinge).

Advantageously, the closures described herein can also be snap-on closures. In a typical snap-on closure, the sealing lip is shorter than in a hinged closure. With a fin to guide the resealing of the closure, the sealing lip can be longer than typical, thereby having improved leak prevention.

As previously mentioned, the closures described herein can be screw closures or snap closures. In either configuration, the closures can be from about 16 mm to about 110 mm, or about 23 mm to 48 mm in diameter (e.g., for the beverage industry) or can alternatively be sized larger as desired to accommodate containers of various sizes. Moreover, although the closures described and shown herein are substantially circular, in other embodiments the hinged closure could be ovoid, polygonal, or other shape to accommodate a variety of containers.

The closures and methods of making described herein pertain primarily to plastic closures formed by injection molding. Such materials generally include thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers. However, other materials including elastomers, flexible metals, or other materials suitable for injection molding can be envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art. Similarly, the hinged closures described herein could be manufactured using other methods including but not limited to compression molding and/or additive manufacturing.

FIG. 2 provides a cross section view of another embodiment of the hinged closure 200. In this embodiment, lid portion 210 includes a fin 230, in which the fin 230 is partially affixed to sealing lip 240. The dashed line shown in FIG. 2 represents a plane across the lid portion 210 at the level of the contact point 270, wherein this affixed portion of the fin 230 has a height 234 not greater than the contact point 270. In this embodiment, height 234 of the affixed portion extends from a plane formed by the contact point 270 and inner top surface 236 of the closure. When the lid portion 210 is in the closed position, the affixed portion of fin 230, represented by height 234, should not extend lower than the plane formed by the contact point 270. If the affixed portion extends below the contact point 270 a sink mark and/or site depression may be created on the sealing lip diameter, resulting in leaks when container contents are low viscosity liquids (e.g., water). Accordingly, the shown embodiment includes a fin 230 having a height 234 of the affixed portion that does not extend below contact point 270. As in FIG. 1 , fin 230 and hinge 260 are located on the same side of the closure. Outer seal 250 is shown for reference.

FIG. 3A provides a cross-section view of another embodiment of hinged closure 300 having a lid portion 310 and a skirt portion 320, where lid portion 310 includes a fin 330 and hinge 360. In this embodiment, the fin 330 is partially affixed to sealing lip 340 with the affixed portion not extending below the level of contact point 370 as described in reference to FIG. 2 , above. Outer seal 350 is shown for reference. Lid portion 310 and skirt portion 320 are connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges, with hinge 360 connecting the lid portion 310 and the skirt portion 320 and the hinge 360 is not intended to be broken during ordinary use.

FIG. 3B provides a perspective view of hinged closure 300 from the bottom of the closure. In this view, the size and placement (e.g., length 332) of fin 330 in relation to the overall closure diameter and the closure center 380 can be seen. Although not shown, in some embodiments, fin 330 can be fully affixed to sealing lip 340. In some embodiments, multiple fins 330 can be located equidistantly from the hinge along sealing lip 340.

FIG. 3C provides a view of fin 330 shown in FIG. 3B, in which the height 334 of the affixed portion can be more readily appreciated. The affixed portion contact point 370 and inner top surface 336 of the closure. Thickness 337 is also shown. In a particular example, such as for a beverage closure, the fin 330 can have a thickness 337 of about 0.25 mm to 5 mm. The contact surface 335 of fin 330 is configured to interact with the top of the container opening. Specifically, during reclosure of a container, at least a portion of the contact surface 335 comes into contact with the top surface of the container opening (i.e., thickness of container neck), and slides across the thickness of the container neck until the fin reaches the interior of the container opening (i.e., the fin contact surface is no longer in contact with the neck thickness but rather situated in the opening of the container).

FIG. 4 provides a line drawing of closure 400 demonstrating the position of fin 430 when the closure 400 is affixed to a container neck 414 as the lid portion 410 moves from a closed position to an open position. When the closure 400 is in the closed position, fin 430 aligns the side of sealing lip 440 near hinge 460 in the correct position in relation to the container neck 414 so that when closing force is applied to closure 400, the entirety of lid portion 410 is in alignment.

Turning now to FIG. 5 , another embodiment of the hinged closure 500 is shown. FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view wherein the underside of lid portion 510 is visible and skirt portion 520 is at the forefront of the view. In this embodiment, the underside of lid portion 510 includes a number of radially extending reinforcing ribs 590 that extend from sealing lip 540 to the closure center 580. In the shown embodiment, six reinforcing ribs 590 extend radially from a center point of the underside of the top wall of the closure, forming a star feature to reinforce the lid portion 510. In this embodiment, fin 530 is integrated into the reinforcing rib 590 extending from the hinge 560 side of the closure. In the shown embodiment, fin 530 is fully affixed to the sealing lip 540 but can be partially affixed as discussed above. In other embodiments, more or fewer reinforcing ribs 590 can be present. In some embodiments, more than one of reinforcing ribs 590 can have an integrated fin 530. In yet other embodiments, other combinations/arrangements of fins and reinforcing ribs can be envisioned. For example, fin 530 can be located between two reinforcing ribs 590 or a fin 530 can be located between each reinforcing ribs 590. Advantageously, the reinforcing ribs 590 can increase stability in the closure when used with contents that have increased internal pressure (e.g., carbonated beverages). Although six reinforcing ribs 590 are shown in FIG. 5 , a number of reinforcing ribs 590 can be included (e.g. 3, 4, 5, or more). Outer seal 550 is shown for reference.

In other embodiments (not shown), more than one of reinforcing ribs 590 can include a fin 530. For example, each reinforcing rib 590 or alternating reinforcing ribs 590 can include a fin 530. The fin can extend partially or fully along the length of the reinforcing rib 590 originating from the sealing lip 540. In other embodiments, the fin 530 can be separate and distinct from the star feature. For example, a single fin 530 can be included on the same side as the hinge 560, where the fin is not integrated into a reinforcing rib 590. In another example, fins 530 could be placed in between the reinforcing ribs 590.

Although embodiments have been described herein in detail, the descriptions are by way of example. The features of the embodiments described herein are representative and, in alternative embodiments, certain features and elements may be added or omitted. Additionally, modifications to aspects of the embodiments described herein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined in the following claims, the scope of which are to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass modifications and equivalent structures.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

It should be noted that measurements, amounts, and other numerical data can be expressed herein in a range format. It is also understood that there are a number of values disclosed herein, and that each value is also herein disclosed as “approximately” that particular value in addition to the value itself. For example, if the value “10” is disclosed, then “approximately 10” is also disclosed. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “approximately,” it will be understood that the particular value forms a further aspect. For example, if the value “approximately 10” is disclosed, then “10” is also disclosed.

As used herein, the terms “about,” “approximately,” “at or about,” and “substantially equal” can mean that the amount or value in question can be the exact value or a value that provides equivalent results or effects as recited in the claims or taught herein. That is, it is understood that amounts, sizes, measurements, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art such that equivalent results or effects are obtained. In general, an amount, size, measurement, parameter or other quantity or characteristic is “about,” “approximate,” “at or about,” or “substantially equal” whether or not expressly stated to be such. It is understood that where “about,” “approximately,” “at or about,” or “substantially equal” is used before a quantitative value, the parameter also includes the specific quantitative value itself, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Where a range is expressed, a further aspect includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure.

For example, where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure, e.g. the phrase “x to y” includes the range from ‘x’ to ‘y’ as well as the range greater than ‘x’ and less than ‘y’. The range can also be expressed as an upper limit, e.g. ‘about x, y, z, or less’ and should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of ‘about x’, ‘about y’, and ‘about z’ as well as the ranges of ‘less than x’, less than y′, and ‘less than z’. Likewise, the phrase ‘about x, y, z, or greater’ should be interpreted to include the specific ranges of ‘about x’, ‘about y’, and ‘about z’ as well as the ranges of ‘greater than x’, greater than y′, and ‘greater than z’. In addition, the phrase “about ‘x’ to ‘y’”, where ‘x’ and ‘y’ are numerical values, includes “about ‘x’ to about ‘y’”.

It is to be understood that such a range format is used for convenience and brevity, and thus, should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. To illustrate, a numerical range of “about 0.1% to 5%” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 0.1% to about 5%, but also include individual values (e.g., about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, and about 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., about 0.5% to about 1.1%; about 5% to about 2.4%; about 0.5% to about 3.2%, and about 0.5% to about 4.4%, and other possible sub-ranges) within the indicated range. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hinged closure for a container, comprising: a lid portion and a skirt portion, connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges, a hinge connecting the lid portion and the skirt portion; wherein the lid portion comprises an outer seal and/or a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure; and at least one fin that is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip; wherein the fin and the hinge are positioned on the same side of the closure; wherein the fin has a height extending from the underside of the top wall of the closure to a top of an opening of the container; and wherein the fin has a length extending from the sealing lip toward the center of the closure such that the length of the fin is sufficient to interact with the opening of the container during reclosure.
 2. The hinged closure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fin is aligned with the center of the hinge.
 3. The hinged closure according to claim 1, wherein the fin affixed to the sealing lip along the entire height of the fin.
 4. The hinged closure according to claim 3, wherein the container is configured to contain dry contents or high-viscosity liquids and withstand leaks when closed.
 5. The hinged closure according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the height of the fin is affixed to the sealing lip such that the affixed portion extends from the inner top surface of the closure to a point at which the lid portion contacts with a neck finish of the container.
 6. The hinged closure according to claim 5, wherein the container is configured to contain low-viscosity liquids, dry contents, or high-viscosity liquids and withstand leaks when closed.
 7. The hinged closure according to claim 1, wherein the closure comprises two or more fins, wherein a first fin is aligned with the hinge and a remainder of the two or more fins are equidistant from the first fin along an internal circumference of the sealing lip.
 8. The hinged closure according to claim 1, wherein the fin contacts an opening of the container such that the closure is aligned in a correct closed position during reclosure.
 9. The hinged closure according to claim 1, wherein the fin has a length of about 0.3 mm or greater.
 10. The hinged closure according to claim 9, wherein the fin has a thickness of about 0.25 mm to 5 mm.
 11. The hinged closure according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending radially from a center point of the underside of the top wall of the closure.
 12. The hinged closure according to claim 11, wherein the at least one fin is integrated into at least one of the plurality of reinforcing ribs.
 13. A hinged closure for a container, comprising: a lid portion and a skirt portion, connectable by a plurality of breakable bridges, a hinge connecting the lid portion and the skirt portion; wherein the lid portion comprises an outer seal and/or a sealing lip positioned on an underside of a top wall of the closure; and a plurality of fins, wherein each of the plurality of fins is at least partially affixed to an interior edge of the sealing lip; wherein a first fin of the plurality of fins is positioned on the same side of the closure as the hinge and the remaining fins are located equidistant from one another along a circumference of the closure; and wherein each of the plurality of fins has a height extending from the underside of the top wall of the closure to a top of an opening of the container; and wherein each of the plurality of fins has a length extending from the sealing lip toward the center of the closure such that the length of each fin is sufficient to interact with the opening of the container during reclosure.
 14. The hinged closure according to claim 13, wherein the first fin is aligned with the center of the hinge.
 15. The hinged closure according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending radially from a center point of the underside of the top wall of the closure.
 16. The hinged closure according to claim 15, wherein at least one fin is integrated into at least one of the plurality of reinforcing ribs.
 17. The hinged closure according to claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of fins is integrated into the plurality of reinforcing ribs, such that each reinforcing rib comprises one fin. 